Happy Birthday to the King of Comics! The best way to celebrate Jack Kirby’s birthday is to buy comics! There are currently facsimile edition, reprints that copy the style of the original comics, of Fantastic Four. This covers Fantastic Four #1, #4 the introduction of Sub-Mariner to the FF, #5 first appearance of Doctor Doom, and #48, “The Coming of Galactus!”There is also trade paperbacks, omnibus’, and maybe find that rare back issue! Also, watch (again) Fantastic Four: First Steps! Lastly, there is the exhibit, Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity, at the Skirball Cultural Center. It opened on May 1st and runs to March 1st of next year. To understand how comic books, superhero comics, the work and its appeal, you have to understand Jack Kirby.
His extreme poses and action exploding out of the panels are the language of superhero comic books today. The King of Comics, started as an in-betweener at the Fleischer Studios working in animation. Then, he started work at the Eisner & Iger studio creating artwork working in many genres for Wild Boy Magazine. Kirby moved to Fox Feature Syndicate working with writer Joe Simon on the Blue Beetle comic strip. The duo worked together on Captain Marvel Adventures #1 (1941) for Fawcett Comics. They joined Timely Comics, which later became Marvel Comics, and created Captain America Comics #1 (1941). It sold out and became an iconic character for Timely/Marvel. Captain America was the subject of a movie serial in 1944, some movies in 1979, a film in 1990, and entered the MCU played by Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
The Simon and Kirby duo created romance comics with Young Romance #1 (1947). Kirby then worked for DC creating the Challengers of the Unknown, a quartet of explorers who survive a jet crash to investigate strange dangers in Showcase #6 (1957). In Challengers of the Unknown #3 (1958), written and drawn by Kirby, the group gets super powers including projecting flame and invisibility. He worked with Stan Lee introducing monsters like Groot in Tales to Astonish #13 (1960). The tree-creature was featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (2023). What launched the Marvel Age of Comics in the Silver Age was Fantastic Four #1 (1961). Jack Kirby and Stan Lee even cameo trying to crash the wedding of Sue Storm and Reed Richards in Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965)!
This year, Fantastic Four: First Steps, opened in theaters. It featured Marvel’s First Family, Silver Surfer, and Galactus besides many other cameos! The film is a love letter to Jack Kirby and his work. The creative duo turned a monster into a hero with The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962) who was in the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) series. Then, Thor first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 (1962). The God of Thunder's latest solo film is Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). Lee and Kirby co-created Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish #35 (1962) with Larry Leiber. Also, the Wasp in Tales to Astonish #44 (1963) with Ernie Hart. Their latest film is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). Next, the team co-created Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #39 (1963). 2008's Iron Man started the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Lee and Kirby brought the heroes together in The Avengers #1 (1963). The blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame, featured the characters. They also created Black Panther in Fantastic Four #52 (1966). The character was featured in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). The Lee and Kirby duo created the X-Men and villain Magneto in X-Men #1 (1963). Professor Xavier, leader of the X-Men, had a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. When Kirby went to DC Comics, he created the Fourth World drawing and writing New Gods #1 (1971) and also their nemesis Darkseid, who Kirby introduced in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134 (1970). Darkseid appeared in Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). Jack Kirby returned to Marvel and wrote and drew Captain America with issue #193 (1976). He also crafted Captain America #200 (1976) which was the also Bicentennial l of America!
Jack Kirby created The Eternals in The Eternals #1 (1976). Their film was out in 2021. Kirby worked in animation reuniting with Stan Lee on The New Fantastic Four (1978) series. One of the most clever comics Kirby wrote and illustrated What If? #11 (1978) which had Stan Lee as Mr. Fantastic, Flo Steinberg as Invisible Girl, Sol Brodsky as Human Torch, and the character that was mirror to Kirby, The Thing. Kirby had some creative titles with Pacific Comics starting with Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers #1 (1981). The work of Jack Kirby is found in issues of Jack Kirby Quarterly. Jack Kirby was pioneering in comic books, animation, he created film concept art that was used by the CIA seen in Argo (2012). He died in 1994, but his legacy will always be remembered by fans and audience members who love comic books on the screen! Happy Birthday Jack Kirby!
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